College Sports

Kingsbury Taking Over At Texas Tech

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Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Kliff Kingsbury quarterback Johnny Manziel of the Texas A&M University Aggies pose after being named the 78th Heisman Memorial Trophy Award winner at a press conference at the Marriott Marquis on December 8, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

LUBBOCK (CBS SPORTS) – Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has been named the new head coach at Texas Tech.

The 33-year-old Kingsbury comes back to Lubbock, where he was a record-setting quarterback for the Red Raiders a decade ago. Kingsbury’s rise up the coaching ranks has been as much of a whirlwind as the offensive scheme he runs. Just five years ago, he was still trying to keep his playing career alive when he followed Dana Holgorsen to Houston to be a quality control assistant under the new UH offensive coordinator. Holgorsen left Houston after two seasons, and Kingsbury took over as the Cougars’ play-caller and helped turn QB Case Keenum into the most prolific passer in NCAA history.

This season, Kingsbury followed former UH head coach Kevin Sumlin to Texas A&M as the Aggies’ new offensive coordinator, and the team stunned the rest of the SEC. The Aggies finished No. 3 in the nation in scoring and total offense despite facing three of the nation’s top eight defenses. Kingsbury’s protege, Johnny Manziel, went on to become the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Manziel accepted the award in New York last Saturday, the same day word spread that Tommy Tuberville was bolting Texas Tech after three lackluster seasons to take the Cincinnati job.

The hiring of the charismatic Kingsbury should invigorate a Red Raiders fan base that has been split for years, a fraying that actually preceded Tuberville’s arrival at Tech but was increased by the controversial firing of Mike Leach, the architect of the system that Kingsbury had flourished in. Even though Kingsbury is most associated as a disciple of Leach and Holgorsen, he’s also a product of having worked with Bill Belichick, Mike McCarthy and Kevin Sumlin.